Twixt heaven and hell
by fee-kh
Summary: He does good and the Scoobies are left to deal with the destruction of expectations and firmly held beliefs.


Disclaimer: As is usual with this type of fiction, I first have to proclaim the fact that I do not have the rights to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which I will willingly do as it allows me to play with the characters to my heart's content, supremely oblivious to anything as mundane as canon. Thank you Joss and all the intellectual property laws of the world.

A/N: This goes AU from the middle of the Gift, it is very obvious from which point on and if it isn't then I am not doing a very good job setting the scene. Let me know what you think. Please.

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Chapter the First: The Gift

Spike looked down in disbelief as the little oh so harmless looking lizard man shoved his knife hilt deep into his belly and then proceeded to shove him off the platform. The vampire tensed, made a wild grab for the doc and pulled him off the platform with him. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as they slowly fell over the side and Spike had more than enough time for the million and one thoughts flying through his head.

'Protect her.'

'Till the end of the world. Even if that happens to be tomorrow.'

"Sod this." he growled, executing a back wrenching turn in mid-air, allowing his fingers to close around one of the support struts, grunting with pain he first felt something tear in his shoulder and was then slammed into the side of the structure Glory's minions had inexpertly erected in the scrap yard. Dimly he was aware of the bones in his hip crackling under the sudden pressure, only sheer stubborness allowing him to hold on and pull himself onto a platform.

Pain washed over him in neverending waves, but when had he ever let that stop him? And his body was already attempting to repair the damage, allowing him to pull himself to his feet and take stock of the battle raging below.

Far below, the Scoobies were just about holding their own against Glory's minions, the witches herding the victims out of the way, while Giles, Xander and even Anja battled with swords, hands and whatever they could get their paws on. Below him, Spike could feel the structure shuddering as Buffy and Glory battled each other, both striving to reach the top first. He wasn't really worried, Buffy could hold her own. Better get up to the top and get the niblet down before somebody…

A scream rent the night. Dawn's scream. But that was impossible, the Doc lay shattered at the foot of the tower and neither Buffy nor Glory had passed him up the tower. Ignoring the agony racing through his body, Spike limped up the last twenty metres, once again reaching the top of the tower. The sight that greeted him chilled his undead heart. In the distraction of the fight one of Glory's sycophantic minions must have slipped all of them by and he now stood in front of Dawn, bizarrely apologising profusely as he sliced into her stomach. In a flash Spike was behind him and it was only a matter of moments to snap his neck and throw him over the side to join his brethren below.

"S-spike." Dawn stuttered, sagging into her restraints in relief. "You came."

"Course I did, bit. Just hold on a second, niblet. Gonna untie you and we'll have you down from here in a New York second."

Fumbling slightly, due in large part to his injured arm and only slightly due to the adrenaline flowing through his veins, Spike picked up the knife the minion had dropped and sliced through the restraints, catching Dawn in a hug as she fell against him, sobbing out her thanks. Leading her away from the edge was a matter of seconds. Spike sat her down, tearing off strips of his shirt to create a makeshift bandage for her belly to staunch the bleeding.

"You'll be alright, platelet. Sister's on her way, saving the world and all that."

A scream of rage below him and him glancing over the side in time to see Glory fall from the tower and crash into the ground headfirst. Turning back to Dawn he was just about to tell her the good news when he saw that her attention was nowhere near on him.

"It's started." she whispered., slowly getting to her feet. Looking over his shoulder, Spike saw the end of the world as he knew it. The air itself was twisting in upon itself, churning in tortured circles. Then with an almost audible groan the fabric of reality split asunder in a blast of blue-white lightning. Even as he and Dawn incredulously watched the maelstrom widened and they saw the first demons drop through to join the melee raging on the ground.

"I have to stop it." Dawn choked out. "It only stops when the blood stops." Spike stared at her in disbelief and pain. Of course it only stopped when the blood stopped, hadn't he told the Scoobies that only a few weeks before, even as he hadn't wanted to believe it. Hadn't wanted to believe that the only person that believed in him wholeheartedly was destined to be killed or have to kill herself to stop the world from ending. It was always about the blood. Dawn dieing would kill Buffy, and right at that second, with Buffy's plea from the night before ringing in his ears, Spike realised that in the end when it came down to it, the decision wasn't that hard to make after all. Sliding into gameface he yanked the oblivious Dawn harshly against his chest and sank his fangs into her throat.

oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo

Buffy's lungs were burning in her chest, the pain joining the million others in her body, as with a final superhuman effort she threw Glory off the side of the tower. Sagging against a support bar, she allowed herself a microsecond of rest before moving onwards and upwards. She was still two levels below the top when the rip appeared in her reality. Her eyes widened in abject fear.

"Dawnie."

Adrenaline flooded her system, giving her an illusive energy surge, allowing her to push her body past the limits normally imposed on it, running full-speed to the top of the tower only to slam to a sudden stop when she finally reached it. Disbelief tore through her. There in front of her stood Spike, cradling a weakly flailing Dawn to his chest, the brow ridges of his game face screwed up tightly against the pain the chip must be inflicting on his body, blood trickling ever so slightly from the corners of his mouth where it was pressed against her neck.

Even as Buffy watched, Spike lifted his head, eyes glazed from the pain racing through his brain.

"It stops when the blood stops."

Buffy gasped in shock, disbelief rooting her to the spot, as she heard the words he had said once before. Rage easily overpowered disbelief, obliterating all conscious thought processes in its path. Spike had killed Dawn, had drained her here on top of this tower. A low growl rose in her chest. She was gonna kill him. Tear him apart with her bare hands. Slowly.

"Bastard." The hiss was unrecognisable as her voice, sheer hatred, fury and above all betrayed trust lending it an alien quality.

"It stops when the blood stops." Spike managed to say again, giving her an unbelievably sad smile.

Something tore in Buffy's chest and she surged forward, hands twisting into claws, only to fall to the ground when Spike shoved Dawn's body at her.

Spike looked at her, gameface sliding away, blue eyes swimming with an emotion rage wouldn't allow her to recognise.

"So long, slayer. Tell her I'm sorry."

Coat flaring behind him as he turned, Spike took off for the end of the platform at a run and threw himself over the edge and into the centre of the vortex swirling below. There was a final burst of energy that left spots dancing in front of Buffy's eyes and the rip closed, rather nastily severing a dragon in half as it tried to squeeze through to greener pastures. Blood and entrails exploded everywhere painting the town red and drenching all those on or around the tower in the viscous liquid.

Buffy was left sitting awkwardly on top of the tower, cradling her sister's body in her lap, staring blindly into the sunset, tears cutting paths through the blood coating her face. It was over. Glory was defeated and the man she'd trusted with the most precious person in her life had betrayed her, had..

"Buffy?" The voice was a whisper on the wind.

Incredulously Buffy dropped her eyes to the dazed, brightly blue eyes of her sister. Her not dead sister.

"Wha' happn'd?" Dawn's voice was slightly slurred, as if she had drunk too much.

"Dawnie?" Buffy couldn't believe it. "You're alive."

Down below her friends battled the remaining minions and demons ad Giles surreptiously and permanently granted the Ben/Glory hybrid last rites.

"I don't feel so good." Dawn managed, bringing Buffy back down to earth.

"We'll get you to the hospital, Dawnie. Hang in there, sweetie." Buffy managed past the lump in her throat, hanging on to her composure by the skin of her teeth, even as elation and sorrow battled for victory in her mind. Her fragile composure was shattered though by Dawn's next question.

"Where's Spike?"


End file.
